Work-life balance can’t be mandated, employers say

Meeting the needs of employees for work-life balance for the most part means being flexible as an employer, but flexibility isn’t something that can be mandated by law.

That’s what a roomful of employers told Minister of Labour Jean-Pierre Blackburn in Toronto, one of the stops he made in a tour of four cities last month to consult with workers and employers on recommended changes to the Canada Labour Code.

“Regulating flexibility is somewhat of an oxymoron,” said Sylvia Chrominska, Scotiabank’s executive vice-president of human resources and public, corporate and government affairs.